Bibliometric analysis of diadromous fish research from 1970s to 2010: a case study of seven species

The aim of this study was to explore the research trends and the evolution of publications covered on diadromous fish from 1970s to 2010. We conducted a bibliometric analysis on seven patrimonial species: Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), Brown and Sea trout (Salmon trutta), Allis shad (Alosa alosa), Twaite shad (Alosa fallax), Eel (Anguilla Anguilla), Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) and River lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis). We used bibliometric techniques on the total number of research (articles, books, and conferences) in all country in function of main fields such as growth/age, reproduction, migration, habitat, aquaculture, diseases, diet, abundance, fisheries, climate change, toxicology, dams/fishways, genetics, taxonomy, modelling, resource management, and stocking. The results revealed a clear difference in the evolution of scientific studies by species and by countries. The analysis comparisons showed the intensity of certain topics by species with the emergence of new ones, the economic impact on sciences and the increased support of conservation plan management for certain species, such as salmon and lamprey in France. This study also emerged that French research is not always consistent with the international trend which suggests the dominance of management systems on scientific studies.